Cooking utensil.



- J. 1 1011113. 0001mm UTBNSIL. APPLIOATION EILED MAY 26, 1910'987,5-10.- Patented Mar. 21, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. THORNE. COOKING UTENSIL- APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1910. 987,51 0.Patented Mar. 21, 1911.

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JOHN THORNE, OF BOOTLE, ENGLAND.

COOKING UTENSIL.

Application filed. May 28, 1910. Serial No. 563,998.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN THORNE, a subject of the King of Great Britain,and a resident of Bootle, England, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Cooking Utensils, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in cooking utensils of that typein which the material to be cooked is contained in a perforated cage orstrainer adapted to be supported within a saucepan or the like cookingvessel, and to be lifted clear of the water and held in such raisedposition for the purpose of steaming or draining the contents.

The invention is more particularly directed to that type of apparatus inwhich perforated strainers for use in cooking utensils have beensupported in the draining position by means of reversible handlesengaging the rim of the utensil or in which similar containers have beensupported in the steaming position by means of a detachable ring fittingbetween the mouth of the utensil and the exterior of the container.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a medial vertical section of the container in place in thesaucepan for boil-- ing purposes. Fig. 2 is a plan of Fig. 1. Fig. 8shows the position ,of the container on the supporting ring when usingthe apparatus for steaming. Fig. 4 shows the handles in the reversedposition to support the container for straining the cooked material.

The container consists of a cylindrical receptacle 1 the bottom 2 ofwhich is arched and perforated at 3 as shown. This container is an easyfit in the mouth of the saucepan 4: and is provided with brackets 5shouldered at 6 so that it may be suspended in the saucepan upon theseshoulders which rest on the upper rim of the pan, as shown in Fig. 1. Inthe tops 7 of the brackets are pivoted a pair of substantiallyrectangular handle members by which the container may be lifted into andout of the saucepan. These handle members comprise the pivotbar, 8 andthe handle bars 8 which are united by the connection bars 8, which aremade fairly long as shown. The handle members are concaved at theextremity of their free ends, 8 as indicated in the drawings, for thepurpose hereinafter described.

In the position illustrated in Fig. 1 the material 9 in the container isimmersed in the water for the ordinary operation of cooking by boiling,the lid 10 resting on the upper edge of the saucepan, its rim 11 beingnotched away at 12 to clear the shoulders 6 and allow the lid to restmore or less steam tightly on the pan.

In order to permit of the material being easily and cleanly strainedafter cooking, the handle members are reversed until they assume theposition shown in Fig. 4, the concaved shape of the handle ends 8enabling them to be seated securely on the pan rim. When the containeris supported in this position the material is held clear of the water 12and may be effectually strained, the axis portion 8 of the handles stillforming an effectual handle for use in lifting the container with thematerial out of the pan.

The container 1 is provided with an annular ridge 18, which is made ofsuch a size that it will easily pass through the mouth of the pan, butwhen it is desired to use the apparatus as a steam cooker, thesupporting ring 1 1 is inserted into the mouth of the pan as in Fig. 3,an upper ridge 15 on this ring just projecting sutliciently to rest onthe pan rim and form a practically steam tight joint therewith. .Whenthe container is inserted into the supporting ring 14: the annular ridge13 on the container rests on the edge 15 of the ring thus forming asteam tight joint between the container and the pan. When the lid is nowplaced in position on the container the whole apparatus becomes a steamcooker, the material 9 being held out of contact with the water 12 thesteam from which permeates the interior of the container by way of theperforations 3 in the base.

When using the apparatus for boiling as in Fig. 1, the lid 10 may beslightly raised clear of the shoulders 6 and then given a partialrotation so that the notches do not coincide with the shoulders, the rim11 resting on the top of the shoulders. This position admits of freeboiling without any liability of soot falling into the pan, as is apt tooccur when the lid is tilted slightly clear of the pan with an ordinarytype of pan and lid.

By making the upper edge of the container 1 so that it shall beconsiderably below the top rim of the pan when in the boiling positionshown in Fig. 1, the water which rises in the annulus between thecontainer and the pan does not boil over out of the pan but returns intothe interior of the re the medium of pivot bars, handle bars partaineras shown by the arrows, thus setting allel with said pivot bars,connection bars up a good circulation. uniting the handle and the pivotbars, said 15 The apparatus with slight modifications handle membershaving concaved portions 5 of detail would be applicable for use withadapted to be seated upon the rim of the pans other than that of thetype illustrated. pan for the purpose specified.

I claim: In testimony whereof I affix my signa- In a cooking utensil, apan, a perforated ture in presence of two witnesses. container in thepan, brackets secured on JOHN THORNE. 10 said container, said bracketscomprising lVitnesses:

shoulders adapted to rest on said pan, handle A. J. DAVIES, memberspivoted to the brackets through 13. NAYLOR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

